Tuesday, November 22, 2016

How to Work Conflict Into Your Writing

*This is a sponsored post.


Conflict is the centerpiece of any good writing. Without it, whatever you write would turn out a little boring. In fact, if you think about it, real life is strewn with conflict. Even if it is only minor in the grand scheme of things, conflict is what drives us to get things done and helps us to accomplish some of the biggest goals. By using conflict in the right way in your writing pieces, you will be able to create a story that makes readers want to read it.

Use Real Life as Inspiration

The best ideas often come from your real life. Consider keeping a journal to note conflicts that may come up each day. One great source for some good ideas is work. You can easily find plenty of workplace conflicts that you could base a story around. For example, if you work at a college, like ACU, perhaps the conflict would be something involving trying to secure tenure, or if you work in an office, maybe the conflict is with an annoying co-worker. There are many types of conflicts that can prove to be an inspiration for your writing, even something as simple as an argument with your cat who is refusing to use the litterbox could wind its way into your writing.

Look at Hypotheticals

Maybe you can’t find the right conflict in your own life. However, chances are that there have been times when you avoided conflict or managed to side step it. Try asking yourself what would have happened if you hadn’t been able to escape the conflict. How would things have played out? What results could have occurred? Asking “what if” is a great way to spark some ideas that can really get your creative gears moving.

Dig Into Your Imagination

Dreams are an amazing source for writing. A lot of people have dreams filled with conflict. They can be the perfect source for drawing out ideas. While dreams are not always logical, they can give you a starting place. Consider writing your dreams down when you wake up to keep a record you can refer to later. You might be surprised at the great ideas that come up in them.

Go Back to School

Going back to school can help in a couple ways. First, it never hurts to further your education. You may consider taking a creative writing class where you’ll learn different techniques and get tools to help you to develop your writing skills further. In addition, you may find classes that will really assist you with learning how to develop conflict in your stories. Second, being a student is a breeding ground for conflict. It’s not always easy to be a student. Whether you are attending on campus or going online, like at Case Western, you are going to come upon some good conflict that you can use to fuel your writing.

Developing conflict is essential when you are writing. Stories are based on a good battle between good and bad or right and wrong. Without it, your writing will fall flat, your stories won’t be interesting and readers will just walk away. Thankfully, learning to find conflict to write about is not too difficult.